Many seem to think that any message delivered by one of
God's servants which does not immediately result in someone's salvation is a
useless waste of time and effort. It is not so. Was Noah's preaching useless?
Was Peter's sermon before the Sadducees useless (Acts 4:1-12)? Was Stephen's
message to the Libertines useless (Acts 7)? Certainly not! Yet, no one was
immediately converted as a result of the messages these men delivered. It is
God's work, and God's work alone, to apply the message as he will, when he
will. And God always makes the message he gives effectual to the accomplishment
of the purpose for which he gives it (Isa. 55:11).